Under the guidance of the old man, Kakashi and Shisui arrived at a dense forest.
"Master Ninja, look, those footprints over there were left by the monster earlier."
The old man pointed toward a patch of disturbed earth in the woods and spoke with a grave tone.
"All right, old man, you can wait here. We'll proceed from here."
"Then I'll be counting on you."
Kakashi and Shisui advanced toward the site, and when they saw the footprint, even Kakashi's seasoned composure was shaken.
It was a massive indentation in the earth, shaped like claws—clearly the mark of a large beast.
"Silver, this footprint definitely belongs to a large creature… and judging by the chakra residue, it's a summoning beast."
Shisui knelt beside the footprint and observed it with a serious gaze.
In this world, creatures fell into two broad categories: ordinary animals and summoning beasts.
The distinction lay in chakra—summoning beasts possessed it, while normal beasts did not.
And naturally, a summoning beast was far superior in strength and size.
Kakashi wasn't surprised. A footprint of this scale clearly couldn't belong to an ordinary beast.
No animal could grow this large under natural conditions—at least none that Kakashi had ever heard of.
But summoning beasts were a different story. Because they could refine and mold chakra, their growth potential was immense.
Kakashi stroked his chin thoughtfully. A footprint of this magnitude suggested a powerful summoning beast—possibly even bigger than the Great Toads of Mount Myōboku.
That was concerning.
Size was often a reflection of strength when it came to summoning beasts, though there were exceptions—such as the wise elder toads, Fukasaku and Shima.
With that thought, Kakashi bit the tip of his thumb and began forming hand seals.
With a sudden puff of smoke, eight ninja dogs materialized before him.
"Yo, Kakashi. We meet again. What's the mission this time?"
"A talking dog?"
Shisui blinked in disbelief at the talking pug.
Pakkun turned his head toward him with a curious look.
"New face, huh?"
"Pakkun, I need you and the others to track down the creature that left this footprint."
Kakashi gestured at the enormous claw mark.
The pack of dogs immediately rushed forward, sniffing fervently at the scent trail.
"That's my team of ninken. They're excellent trackers."
"I didn't expect Senior Kakashi's summoning beasts to be so... adorable. And they can talk too," Shisui remarked.
"It took a lot of training to get Pakkun to speak."
"Man, I wish my crows could do that. It'd be so helpful." Shisui sighed enviously. Most non-sage-region summoning beasts didn't have speech capability.
"Just patience and persistence."
There was no real trick to it—Pakkun had the aptitude, and Kakashi had put in the work.
Suddenly, Pakkun's voice turned grave.
"Kakashi, this footprint... it's not ordinary."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
This was the first time Pakkun had ever sounded so serious. That alone made Kakashi's instincts sharpen.
"The chakra scent on this footprint... it's intense. Very strong. And—it's canine."
"A dog-type summoning beast?"
Kakashi was stunned. A canine summoning beast of this size? That was unexpected. What kind of creature had shown up on this island?
And why only now?
Had it traveled here from somewhere else?
Or had it been hidden until now?
More importantly, if it was a summoning beast... then someone must have summoned it.
That implied the presence of other shinobi.
But the only known summoners of canine-type beasts were from the Inuzuka Clan.
Could there be rogue ninja on this island?
His thoughts raced as he asked, "Pakkun, can you locate it?"
"Absolutely. With chakra this strong and the fact that it's a canine, we'll find it fast."
"Good. Lead the way."
"Be careful, Kakashi."
"What is it, Pakkun? Do you recognize the beast?"
"No... but my hackles are up. My instincts are screaming danger. It must be something terrifying."
"Got it. We'll stay alert. Shisui, be cautious. First time I've tracked something this big."
"Same here, Silver. My first time dealing with a beast this massive."
"Let's move."
"Yes!"
With the scent trail identified, Kakashi dismissed seven of the eight ninken.
Then, with Pakkun and Shisui, he set out toward their quarry.
Meanwhile, not far off the coast, a small boat approached the island.
Two people were aboard—a middle-aged man and a young woman.
"Lady Terumi Mei, we received intel that someone matching Hatake Kakashi's description landed on that island."
The older shinobi reported crisply.
"Understood, Ao. Our goal is to determine if this Hatake Kakashi was the one who attacked our village. If it's him... we strike if necessary."
The brown-haired girl brushed back her bangs, ruffled by the sea breeze, and stared coldly toward the island ahead.
"Lady Terumi Mei, won't this risk provoking Konoha?"
Ao hesitated. The Mist Village was already in a precarious position. Provoking Konoha could be disastrous.
"That's a last resort. If he is the culprit, we capture him first—then negotiate. I've heard Kakashi holds the Third Hokage's trust. He might be valuable leverage."
Her exposed left eye gleamed with shrewdness.
"Lady Terumi Mei... you intend to use Konoha's influence against Yagura?"
"You could say that. But we must act discreetly. If the villagers suspect anything, we'll lose their support."
"Understood, my lady. But Hatake Kakashi is formidable. Can we handle him?"
"Don't worry, Ao. I've mastered my Yōton—Lava Release. That's more than enough for Hatake Kakashi."
At that, Ao's face brightened.
"As expected! Lady Terumi Mei truly is a genius. To wield the Terumi clan's secret technique at your age…"
"Enough flattery. Stay alert."
"Yes, Lady Terumi Mei!"
So it's Kakashi, huh? I want to see just how strong you really are.
With a cool gaze and sea breeze brushing past her, Terumi Mei stood on the deck, unaware that her arrival was about to complicate everything.
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